Explanation:
This remarkable
self-portrait
of NASA's Mars Curiosity
Rover includes a sweeping panoramic view of its current
location in the Yellowknife Bay region of the Red Planet's
Gale Crater.
The rover's flat, rocky perch, known as "John Klein", served
as the site for
Curiosity's first rock drilling activity.
At
the foot of the proud looking
rover, a shallow drill
test hole and a sample collection hole are 1.6 centimeters in diameter.
The impressive mosaic was constructed using
frames from the rover's Mars Hand Lens Imager (MAHLI) and
Mastcam.
Used to take in the panoramic landscape frames,
the Mastcam is standing high above the rover's deck.
But MAHLI, intended for close-up work,
is mounted at the end of the rover's robotic arm.
The MAHLI frames used to create Curiosity's self-portrait
exclude sections that show the arm itself and so MAHLI and the
robotic arm are not seen.
Check out
this spectacular interactive
version of Curiosity's self-portrait panorama.